The Genealogy Roots Blog is for finding online genealogy databases, records and resources. The focus is on vital records (birth, marriage, divorce & death records), obituaries, census records, naturalization records, military records and ship passenger lists. The Genealogy Roots Blog is based in the USA, but online European, Canadian, and other records sources are sometimes included. Mixed in with all this you will occasionally find a fun post or genealogy news.

Friday, July 25, 2008

20 Things That Make Genealogy Fun

This is intended to be a bunch of silly nonsense. So please don't take it too seriously.

In Germany all the women are named Anna Maria and all the men are named Johann. This was done to confuse genealogists.

In Mexico all the women are named Maria and all the men are named Juan. This was done to confuse genealogists.

In Ireland all the women are named Mary and all the men are named James Patrick O'Connor. This was done for "fun in the pub."

In New Mexico the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "Juan Baca Game." No one knows who Juan Baca was, but everyone in New Mexico can trace their ancestors to him.

In Boston the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "James Patrick O'Connor Game." And you're only allowed to play with a Boston accent. For tips on fine tuning your Boston accent see the Academy Award winning Martin Scorsese film, the Depahhted.

The record you need is always at the end of the microfilm roll.

The records at the beginning of the roll are clear and easy to read with beautiful penmenship. By the time you scroll to the end of the roll where the record you need is located, everything is a blurry mess.

Oh nevermind. They're gonna digitize all of it soon anyway, right?

You actually know what M237 means. You freak.

All of your ancestors settled in Chicago. Whenever you can't find something about them you curse Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

That same cow is probably responsible for the loss of the 1890 census.

Stupid cow.

You wonder why a non-profit religious organization can distribute National Archives microfilm better than the National Archives.

When someone first tells you their last name you immediately convert it into a Soundex code. This kind of behavior is so not normal. Er wait a minute, since everything has been/will be digitized we don't need Soundex codes anymore, right?

I know who Juan Baca was! He was the father of Cristobal Baca. He also lived in Mexico. Other than that, neither I, nor anyone else on the planet, knows anything else about him - including his spouse's name.

I'm descended from Juan Baca about 100 times. Is it any wonder that I don't have blue skin?

Your ancestor had 21 children, of which 8 died. When one of the children would die, the parents would name the next child born the same name as the child that just died.

You think you have found someone...and nope, it's not them...

or gravestone....or no names on gravestone...or just a rock to mark their grave, or can't find their graves at all...except for the fact the "old" map shows a cemetery right under a house or building!!

If I tell my husband one more time, "I'm related to ... ________" he's gonna go crazy. He doesn't want to hear it anymore! When I start talking about genealogy/graves/history...his eyes get this glazed over look, simular to a donut hole! HA!

Great post! In my German town, the women were all Anna Maria or, just for kicks, Maria Anna. But the men were Joseph. It sounds original from all the Johann towns, until you realize that every guy is named Joseph. LOL

This week I tried to find my Ida Charlotta Gustavson, born 28 October 1861 in the birth and christening records of a little parish in Sweden. There were NINE Ida Charlottas born that year, and the one with the last name Gustafson has the wrong birth date!